Like a hole in my head. An orphaned F100

A friend of mine once had an F-150 with a shortened bed mounted on a Bronco ch***is. It looked OK but it was a little out of proportion.

 

Long bed won't bolt right onto the ch***is and line up ... the long-bed trucks also had a longer wheelbase. However, you could cut the back half of the bed on and graft it onto the front half the short bed.

 

Just a thought. How about moving the rearend forward to even out the distance front to back on the rear wheelwell. Cut the bedside and move the wheelwell forward kinda like an altered wheelbase early funny car. It would look like it could have come stock that way and you could sure have fun with people trying to fugure it out. Just plead ignorance when someone asks you like you didn't know there was anything different about it., you just bought it that way and figured it was stock.


Frank

 

That's what I was thinking- I found a LWB bed in Flagstaff, and would just need the rear couple of feet.

 

It fired up this weekend so that's a good sign.

Someone sent me this photoshop:
(not exactly what I'd do but it does make the stubby bed look kind of cool)

 

I have an extra short-wide box I'd sell you for $200. A road trip to Oregon would be real purty this time of year...

 

I got it fired up yesterday and took it for a ride.

I'm going to start another thread on what I found. But the poor fool threw money at the engine, and mostly screwed up everyting he touched.

 

you could weld some wings on the back of the thing, like caddy style. That should draw it out long enough to make it look right.

 

I love the Altered/G***er idea-- too cool.

Pre '68 econolines have basically the same round taillights and tailgate, but the rear of the bed is sculptural and rounded (with a rolled rear pan) instead of truncated like the normal '57-'60 F100 bed.
To me- the rear of the bed is a problem araea to begin with-- it doesn't match anything else on the truck. It's like someone in accounting told the designers said "OK- stop here.".......Part of the reason that everyone still sees the '57-'60 as a "Shop Truck" kind of vehicle.

So--I had considered using some of the sheetmetal (basically a back-half)to make an F100 with a more curvy **** (the Econoline rear also has a slight forward slant to it - like the front of the '57-60 F100).

Alas-- the parts are hard to find...and it sounds like the G***er idea would be easier/ more fun.

 

Check out the '57 that Gary Coe did a couple of years ago. He used an Econo rear on it, and you're right-it looks pretty good. It was in several of the rags at the time.

 

No kidding? That sounds like the stories I make up to tell people (my lovely wife) when projects follow me home...Really, the guy insisted that I take it...I told him I didn't need another project...I couldn't walk away....he paid for the tow truck....It will be so cool when it's done though - Really!

Great score, my first impression is that the bed looks goofy too, but it is unique...

Why would someone do that in the first place?

 

Aww- I know the exact Truck you're talking about. I never paid much attention to it because I thought it was so overdone.
Unfortunately, that's probably where the idea came from-- was looking at that truck .

it is nice, though-- got truck of the year from one of the mags, I think.

 

The guy I got it from bought it from the original owner's wife. The second hand story I got is that he was some kind of racer and did this for some towing related reason.

I wrote the lady a letter and hope to get the scoop directly from her.

It's funny how perspective changes- when I first saw it, it (like all of you) thought it was really wierd. Now when I see a "regular" one, I think they look odd.

The more I look at it, the more I like the g***er idea.
(Besides, "Littleman" approved )

 

I keep checking back on the thread every few days and it just hit me! It reminds me of those airport support trucks they use for some sort of service to the 737's... See them all the time at CLE and the wheelbase looks almost square! Anybody work at an airport? I fly to Dallas this weekend and will try to snap a pic.

 

I took it out for it's real drive a few days ago.

The guy I bought if from said he got it running after it sat for 20 years, but still had a lot of problems.

He put on a new carburetor that was "bad" and new fuel pump that leaked.

The carburetor was installed with the PVC spacer plate upside down that resulted in a huge vacuum leak. The fuel pump was installed with a used 30 year old gasket and since it would only run at 3000 rpm with that vacuum leak, and had sticky valves from sitting 20 years, it had 3 bent pushrods.

After a few hours and less than $10 in parts, is well now and it just purrs along, smooth as can be.

 

I'm waking up this year old thread.

It's alive. I've been using the stubby truck as my daily driver for a couple of weeks now. I'm not done (Who ever is?) I found some really cool old reversed 8 inch wide steel wheels with early Ford centers at an ancient garage in a small town that specialized in motorhomes and campers. $15 for the pair.
Got some used big whitewall radials off craigslist and am using the cragars/redlines from a GTO I sold a few years ago.
I ditched the front bumper and yes, those high beam air intakes are fake.

I almost didn't buy it because the stubby bed was so wierd, but with the big rear window, it's so odd that I like it. Then again, my other car is an Edsel wagon

Next on the list are ditching the big mirrors, dropping the rear about 2" and putting on a drilled out 56 F-100 bumper.

 

Neat truck, The short bed reminds me when I was in hs the 60s, some service stations had some prettylightweight tow units cobled into the back of P/Us. The shortened bed was to move the weight closer to the axle as it was a stretch to tow with a P/U. this was done locally, and not fast, just to hook a dead one into the shop. Maybe your bed could have come from such a truck, after the original bed was wrecked, or maybe as you heard, he towed a race car with it, with an old bumper lift.

 

It is the original bed. I wish I could have talked to the original owner (it was sold new at Babbitt Ford in Flagstaff) but the guy I got it from bought it from their estate sale a year or 2 before.
His plan was to make it a low rider and paint it blue with silver stripes.

 

Making a little progress:

 

I know this is an OLD thread, but what became of this truck? Did it really turn g***er? Or, did the dark side take over and lower it?

 

i love it. maybe even more because it looks funny

 

Looks like our Corgi with no tail

 

<<<<>>>>,My old '54 F-100 Pee Cup ,,pic takin' in '69 on the way back to da house one Sunday from Polar DragWay ,Anchorage ,Alaska ,,i made the 'gl*** tilt front from molds offa the steel parts ,,had a 396 Big Block ,,home made hedders ,,Muncie 4 speed ,,Dana 60 rear w' 4;56 gears ,full black naughyhide diamond tufted show interior,,,ran 10;80's in C/GAS ,,,sold it when i moved back to Iowa ,fall of '69 ,,
I Really miss that truck !!!,,

 

Good score dude i have a 58 custom cab- big back window and 60 boyh short bed fleet sides love em

 

I really dig your model series but the 61-66's are more in my discretionary budget right now...looked at a *****in two tone short bed with a 352 monday, but after 12 years next to the beach above the doors was pretty rusted out. Offered $1200, he countered with $1300 and I think I'm going to p***. He wants to build a 72 nova with the money, so he's not hurting too bad. There is a 64 that I came across in December with the 6 up front, but suuuuper clean. It was at $1400 on ebay with a couple hours left to go, I ended up bidding and was high bidder until the last minute when it jumped to 3k. The high bidder backed out, the owner contacted me and I had a little more money to spend and made an offer but we couldn't agree on a number. Fast forward to the day after I looked at the shortbed and I get an email asking if I'm still interested. He remembered the numbers better then I did, but I'm still curious. It's nice. Going to see how I like the 6 and be straight...don't want to spend that much right now. It's a great truck, maybe I'll get the same good fortune as you, I can always hope

 

The proportions on that truck remind me of an International Scout. I like it, very cool.

 

good luck man. Everybody needs an old pickup, kinda like a favorite pair of jeans....